The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-06-23
MARY JAMES TRAVELS.
SHE REACHES LONDON m CON-
PANY WITH DICkEY.
Her Experience with London Cabmen,
Who Are, She Says, "a Very Good Sort
After All-Their Low Ratcs-Sot Much
Slang Used In London.
Special Correspondencel


LONDON, June s.-You may remember,
kind reader, that at a certain period Of your
life-when you were growing-your hands
were TOO big, you didn't know what to do
with them or your feet. You were in the
@big ugly" stage, your crusty Old bachelor
uncle said. had not been in London day
until was convinced that the town was IN
condition u chronic "big uglness." The
Lord only knows bow long II has been that
way. but il is suffering terribly nov, and as
It is not yet past the growing age. nobody
knows when IL will begin 10 be lat itself.
In some directions one may 60 for "A dozen
miles between rows Of houses, set as close
together as brick and mortar will permit, and
if the observer will climb a church tower
near the central part Of the city, st. Paurs
for instance, and look about her, her eyes will
rest upon a great circular sea Of housetops,
stretching away % the horizon, with here
and there an island Of park, with here and
there a steeple for a sail, standing mOtionless
i'm every wind, unrOcked upon the waveless
bosom Of an ocean Of stone and brick and
iron In every other city | have seen one
may catch gllmpses from the high points Of
the country beyond, and she does not feel so
strongly the awful isolation Of aggregated
mankind. the painful absence Of God; but
London is everywhere, and walk as You WILL
by night or by day, its shadow is always over
you, and it haunts you With ghostly con-
stancy that will never down. And what is
more it is as ugly as 10 is big.
When Dickey and | arrived in town wo
did il quietly, and there was neither brass
band nor fire company out 20 receive us, but
the ever present cabman was in the station,
and be was, at least, glad 30 see Us.
what treasure a cabman u.s." said
Dickey, "a we got out Of our cage in tho
train. eve come into a strange city, know
ing no one and seeing no familiar face. We
stand i'm the station in a state Of semi dazed-
ness, pushed and jostled, hither and yon,
tired in limb and sick at heart, when, 10, r.
still, small voice floats % US like lullaby
Here you are mem. Right this way, mem.
Where shall / take you, menu And forth
with we feel that we are not alone in the
world, and that although the cabhy's friend
ship is mercenary, il is genuine and as long
as we have a shilling he may be relied upon
quite fell i'm with Dickey. way If think
ing for the cabman is a blessing % the
g
friendship differs only from that Of many we
call friends in this, that you know you are
buving cabbys, while you don't know SO
much Of the other until he gives you thrust
that lets out more of your faith in human
kind than you care 10 lose.
Let me say here, that while American cities
may have many advantage over this, the
biggest city in the world, and presumably the
most advanced, they are far inferior in the
matter Of local transportation. Bus fares
range from one penny two cents 90 five or
six pence for very long distances, and cab
fares are only a shilling for two miles or less,
with the privilege Of two persons 90 ride
When ! remember how New York driver
wanted s. 30 drive us about mile and
half. on our departure from that city, think
very kindly Of the London rates OF course
London cabman is tricky. like any other
human, and if be picks you up when yOu
don't know where you are, to drive you 70
your destination, which may not be- more than
| five minutes away, he will drive you for AN
| hour or more and try 20 make you pay 40
"time rates but you don't have 90 DO 10 If
your eyeteeth are cut A gentleman was tell
az me the other evening how one took him
/ for am American greeny and drove an hour
and half to take him ten squares % hotel.
/ He had been in London some months and
| knew the locality perfectly, but let the cab
man 20. At the end Of the trip he got out
quietly and told the driver that il would not
/ be pleasant for him If the Society for the
/ Prevention Of Cruelty 20 Animals people
/ knew be had driven his poor horse all that
| time to come half a mile. Then he handed
| him his shilling, and cabby took 1t and never
/ said word.
They have Il way, too, Of driving very slow
on time contracts" but this may be- rene
died by IA mild wink, which means am extra
/ shilling or sixpence, according 10 the time
one uses the cab Rates are not only reason
able, but there are plenty Of conveyances,
| and on such streets as the Strand, Plccadilly,
/ Regent, Oxford Holborn, Fleet and various
others almost the only vehicles one sees are
/ for the use Of passengers. The heavy trucks,
express wagons, drays, carts and so on We
| have on the main thoroughfares Of Alneri-
can streets do not show up here, and If they
| have any they are confined 10 their own par
/ ticular domain.
/ was going 10 say something else on this
/ abject--a very important one TO the traveller
when Dickey interrupted me 70 inquire #
we're going TO give a half column 70 the cab
man. how much did ! think the queen ought
10 have when 1 got TO heri
Ten lines, said sharply.
"WhatN said she, in surprise.
"Tc lines, said l, very positively
"Why is this" said she
"Because.n said l, ito the traveller they
bear Just about that proportion Of usefulness
10 each other England, my dear, could get
along much better without her queen than
she could without her cabmen, and am 90
ing 10 stand m with the cabmen."
Don't use slang, please" said Dickey, re-
proyingly
That remark OF Dickey's reminded me Of
another thing | have noticed IN England
namely, the absence Of slang. i mean alb
sencc rs compared with the American style
| The English have their slang, but for one
word of it they use We use dozen.
sect out, said Dickey, looking over what
had written What are you giving usP
"The truth, the whole truth and nothing
/ but the truth, said |.